This seemed like a good place for this. I wish our craft beer offerings were much better. See below tweet on San Diego's offerings. Chicago has a crazy amount of breweries popping up, and many large craft brewhouses (Goose, soon to be Lagunitas). Would love for the Sox to commision a contract brew w/ one of them to make our own beer, as well as expand our offerings. We Would really be ahead of the curve. PALE hose ALE anyone?

As opposed to:
Craft Beer location featuring Henry Weinhards, Batch19, Third Shift and Blue Moon Agave Blonde Ale. The Miller Lite Bullpen Sports Bar also will feature Third Shift, Redd's Apple Ale and Blue Moon Agave Blonde Ale. All will be available in the new souvenir Miller Lite Bullpen Sports Bar pilsner glass. Adding to the local offerings, Ebel's Weiss from Two Brothers Brewery, a Chicagoland local brewery, and Leinenkugel's Canoe Paddler
-95% of the above beers are owned by Miller.

This seemed like a good place for this. I wish our craft beer offerings were much better. See below tweet on San Diego's offerings. Chicago has a crazy amount of breweries popping up, and many large craft brewhouses (Goose, soon to be Lagunitas). Would love for the Sox to commision a contract brew w/ one of them to make our own beer, as well as expand our offerings. We Would really be ahead of the curve. PALE hose ALE anyone?

As opposed to:
Craft Beer location featuring Henry Weinhards, Batch19, Third Shift and Blue Moon Agave Blonde Ale. The Miller Lite Bullpen Sports Bar also will feature Third Shift, Redd's Apple Ale and Blue Moon Agave Blonde Ale. All will be available in the new souvenir Miller Lite Bullpen Sports Bar pilsner glass. Adding to the local offerings, Ebel's Weiss from Two Brothers Brewery, a Chicagoland local brewery, and Leinenkugel's Canoe Paddler
-95% of the above beers are owned by Miller.

Aside from the craft beer stand, there is still the beers of the midwest stand, which has a different selection.

I'm really glad that the Cell has cider now. This is my first season since going gluten-free, and it's nice to have that option. (also, the nacho helmets are gluten-free!...shame the hot dog buns are gross)

My whine has to do with my fellow fans, many of whom apparently don't realize that the time to stand up from their seats and go to and return from the concession stands and restrooms is between innings and not anytime the idea happens to pop into their heads.

I'm really glad that the Cell has cider now. This is my first season since going gluten-free, and it's nice to have that option. (also, the nacho helmets are gluten-free!...shame the hot dog buns are gross)

Giants ballpark does a great job of managing this- ushers stand at the top of the aisle, etc. with a sign that is basically "stop" during play, "go" during a break- works great.

In some parks they force you to go back to your seat, even during the action. I've been yelled at before for trying to wait until after an at bat (or at least a foul ball) to return to my seat. Idiotic.

For me- this is a very hard team to really follow right now- the product on the field is looking like 2007 again- injuries exposing a very thin talent base leading to alot of AAAA, non prospects, scrap heap type talent on the major league roster.

A good team can cover for org weaknesses- a bad team exposes them.

The TV/radio broadcast teams (especially radio for me) are stale, the marketing is beyond stale and they are running that whole area based on surveys and social media feedback, important inputs- but they still do not seem to have a fundamental understanding of who their fan base is (this goes back to the early 80's with a few, rare exceptions).

Compounded by a weird experience/feeling when you go to the ballpark.

I don't think things felt this "off", this early (May 1)- even in 2007-

It's a very long season- IF Danks, Beckham, Viciedo came back strong- its a very different team- but probably a long shot.

The entirety of the marketing platform needs to be overhauled. For far too long this team has been trying to sell itself in some sort of "stream of consciousness" manner, and it simply continues with fan polls etc.

First off, the White Sox organization needs to take an inventory. An inventory identifying its competetion, and inventory identifying its strengths and an inventory identifying its weaknesses, but it has to do so in an overall manner (I'll explain) in order to reach any sort of effective marketing plan.

Take competition for example. For far too long they've viewed the Cubs as their primary competition, and, while the Cubs certainly are a competitive factor, I don't think it's the reason why the White Sox are suffering at the gate. There are many more competitors out there trying to separate people from their money (which is all marketing really is) and they include gambling facilities, vacations, basically any sort of entertainment venue (which is all a baseball game really is). These are major competitors which the White Sox go up against in addition to the Cubs.

While the Cubs have an advantage of a well developed entertainment neighborhood, this neighborhood has a rather narrow appeal to 20 to 30 somethings. The Cubs have done a remarkable job capitalizing on this demographic and I'm sure will continue to do so, but it is - in fact - only a slice of the overall pie.

The White Sox have many advantages over the Cubs (if you ignore the aforementioned demographic in which the Cubs have a clear advantage). Easy access to the park (via automobile), amenities within the park itself etc. This points to a family friendly approach.

Cut ticket prices in half for the 14 and unders, start running ads asking if a week in Disney World is really better than an entire summer at US Cellular. Does fifteen minutes in front of a slot machine (with your kids at home) really equate to taking everybody to a White Sox game?

I've been clear I think the broadcasting needs a complete play-by-play overhaul so I won't beat a dead horse, but if Wrigley Field's renovation repositions the Cubs to be able to compete for families as well as 20-30 somethings it will cut into the White Sox's competitive advantages.

This is not going to get solved with boutique beers, questionnaires or mascots. They've got inherent advantages - they've got to exploit them.

"I loved Ol' Ballantine Beer when we went up against Johhny McGraw and Hughie Jennings in Baltimore........Mercy........."

The entirety of the marketing platform needs to be overhauled. For far too long this team has been trying to sell itself in some sort of "stream of consciousness" manner, and it simply continues with fan polls etc.

First off, the White Sox organization needs to take an inventory. An inventory identifying its competetion, and inventory identifying its strengths and an inventory identifying its weaknesses, but it has to do so in an overall manner (I'll explain) in order to reach any sort of effective marketing plan.

Take competition for example. For far too long they've viewed the Cubs as their primary competition, and, while the Cubs certainly are a competitive factor, I don't think it's the reason why the White Sox are suffering at the gate. There are many more competitors out there trying to separate people from their money (which is all marketing really is) and they include gambling facilities, vacations, basically any sort of entertainment venue (which is all a baseball game really is). These are major competitors which the White Sox go up against in addition to the Cubs.

While the Cubs have an advantage of a well developed entertainment neighborhood, this neighborhood has a rather narrow appeal to 20 to 30 somethings. The Cubs have done a remarkable job capitalizing on this demographic and I'm sure will continue to do so, but it is - in fact - only a slice of the overall pie.

The White Sox have many advantages over the Cubs (if you ignore the aforementioned demographic in which the Cubs have a clear advantage). Easy access to the park (via automobile), amenities within the park itself etc. This points to a family friendly approach.

Cut ticket prices in half for the 14 and unders, start running ads asking if a week in Disney World is really better than an entire summer at US Cellular. Does fifteen minutes in front of a slot machine (with your kids at home) really equate to taking everybody to a White Sox game?

I've been clear I think the broadcasting needs a complete play-by-play overhaul so I won't beat a dead horse, but if Wrigley Field's renovation repositions the Cubs to be able to compete for families as well as 20-30 somethings it will cut into the White Sox's competitive advantages.

This is not going to get solved with boutique beers, questionnaires or mascots. They've got inherent advantages - they've got to exploit them.

"I loved Ol' Ballantine Beer when we went up against Johhny McGraw and Hughie Jennings in Baltimore........Mercy........."

You must have missed it........they are marketing Sundays as Family Sundays. $10 parking, tickets as low as $5. They have face painting for kids, autograph sessions...I don't understand the go to Sox games vs. Disney World or the casino marketing campaign you are suggesting. That seems like a bigger waste of time and resources than Mullet Night.

As much as I respect King and his comments over the years with the Sox, I must disagree with his overall marketing philosophy.

Even Bill Veeck, the greatest showman / fan friendly owner baseball has ever seen said, according to Jack Brickhouse, that "there's no substitute for winning..."

That's should be the first, middle and last priority in my opinion.

That doesn't mean you ignore marketing, not at all, and I agree completely that since the 'us vs. them,' and the 'grider rules' campaigns things have gone south, there's a lot that I think Brooks can do better.

But if you want to turn this franchise around, two things are needed which simply haven't been done by this ownership:

1. Consistently win...make the playoffs three years in a row or five times in seven years and then see what the fan / media situation is.

2. Take on the Cubs directly...no more of this "we're Chicago's American League team" nonsense. Start fighting for your own turf. The fact is that Cub fans simply aren't going to come and support the Sox when the Cubs are out of town and visa versa with Sox fans. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN... which makes the entire premise behind the "we're Chicago'a American League team" faulty. Take the bastards on.